


A Strange Way to Drown

by Nellie2018



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Case Fic, Drowning, Gen, Hurt Sam, killer exotic mimosa shower gel, the Winchester brothers on horseback
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29287920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nellie2018/pseuds/Nellie2018
Summary: Sam and Dean investigate a case of a fit and healthy 30 year old man who drowned in the shower.    Their main suspect is his girlfriend but their enquiries point more to her very overprotective sister.  It leads to a race on horseback for Dean to save his brother from being victim number 5.
Kudos: 7





	A Strange Way to Drown

Jordi Barrett couldn’t believe his luck. He watched as his beautiful girlfriend, Ginny, exited the bathroom, rubbing her wet hair with a green towel, a matching towel wrapped around her body. He studied her as she walked over to the mirror, licking his lips as he took in her long lithe limbs and trim figure. He still couldn’t believe that such a beautiful woman wanted to be with him. He saw Ginny glance at him and she smiled a slow seductive smile and dropped her towel. Jordi grinned as he took in the vision of her superb figure, firm breasts and the curve of her perfect hips. He let out a low whistle of appreciation and Ginny laughed lightly, smiled at him and came over.  
“Damn, you’re beautiful.” breathed Jordi and she raised her hands to his face and lightly touched his lips.  
“You too Jordi” she whispered. “But I’m feeling a little left out here.”  
Jordi kissed her and eagerly began to ease himself away ready to pull off his clothing. She tapped him on the shoulder.  
“Shower first.” she said and gave him a quick kiss before turning away to pick up the hairdryer.  
Not needing a second prompting he began stripping off his clothes and stepped into the steamy bathroom hearing Ginny say something as he closed the door a little. He popped his head round the door.  
“Did you say something?”  
She turned and cast him a provocative look.  
“Just get in the shower, put your head back and think of me waiting for you.” she called and laughed as he swiftly turned and closed the door shut. As he turned on the shower, he thought back to the joy of the last two months. He had met Ginny when she and her sister had moved into the apartment block where he had lived for several years. It had started with a quick hello when meeting at the post box but had soon progressed to an offer of sharing a coffee at the nearby cafe. A first date soon turned into a hot and passionate relationship. She was his ideal woman, a beautiful mind with a beautiful body and he thanked his lucky stars that fate had caused their paths to cross. He had realised over the last few weeks that Ginny was the first girl he had ever considered marrying and that fact excited him rather than scaring him. .He turned and grabbed the shower gel and rubbed it into his firm muscles wrinkling his nose at the floral scent. He preferred something a little more masculine but he hadn’t been able to spot his usual bottle and after quickly weighing up the benefit of a quick shower, and in anticipation of what he hoped would happen immediately after, he was sure that Ginny wouldn’t mind him smelling of ... (he glanced at the bottle) Exotic Mimosa. He looked after himself, proud of his 30 year old figure and knew that Ginny appreciated it as well as she was continually telling him as they made love. The soap blinded him for a moment and he rinsed his head under the stream of water tilting his head back to wash the suds away from his eyes. Suddenly he found himself unable to move, his mouth opened involuntarily and the water began to fill his mouth. He struggled but was paralysed and no amount of effort unfroze his body. The water began to choke him as it flowed down his throat. He tried to call out but all that came was a gargled cry. His lungs began to fill with water and he began to panic as breathing became more difficult. Slowly it became impossible and he saw black spots in his eyesight as the oxygen starvation began to affect his brain. “Ginny.” was his last thought before the life giving gas ran out and his life expired with a final gargle as the water drowned him.

Ginny turned off the hairdryer and smiled at her reflection in her mirror. She felt refreshed.and strong, revelling in the benefits of a physical relationship with a fit 30 year old man . She glanced over to the bathroom and heard the shower still running and she moved over to the door and pushed it open.  
“Jordi?” she called and her heart fluttered as she saw the strong man slowly collapse into the wall and slide down. She turned off the water and knelt down and held out a shaking hand to his neck. There was no pulse and she closed her eyes before the screaming began.

Sam rubbed his eyes as he walked into the kitchen, a big yawn creasing his face.  
“The zombie walks” murmured Dean, raising an eyebrow at his brother. He had been up about an hour and had his laptop open in front of him, the remains of his breakfast scattered around the table top.  
“You need to get an early night once in a while Sammy.” he commented and saw the younger Winchesters dark head nod slowly.  
”I got a bit involved in something last night and didn’t realise how late it was.” he replied, grabbing a coffee and some cereal before sitting down at the table opposite Dean.  
“Anything interesting or was it something more private?” Dean said, making a gesture in the air and Sam huffed as he realised what his brother was inferring.  
“A possible case Dean, not porn.” he said firmly.  
Dean shrugged “Ok, want to tell me about it?” relaxing back to listen. He trusted Sams hunter instincts to sniff out new cases.  
Sam yawned again and took a swig of his black coffee, feeling the caffeine begin to filter through his system.  
“What would you say about a man drowning in his shower.”  
Dean raised an eyebrow. “That’s not unknown, could have hit his head if he slipped and fell face down.”  
Sam shook his head. “Stood up, mouth open.”  
“That's definitely strange. Surely your body would instinctively move.”  
“Yeah, you would think so but this police coroner's report says that he drowned by ingestion of water directly down his throat. The water filled his lungs and stomach.”  
“Ugh.” shuddered Dean. “Drowning is not an easy way to go.”  
“No, especially as the coroner figures it would have taken about 8 minutes for him to die.”  
“So, what happened? Did he have a stroke or something?”  
“Yeah, that was a theory from the medical examiner but the autopsy showed he was fit and healthy. He was only 30 years old and physically in tip top condition.”  
Dean frowned. “A fit and healthy 30 year old does not just stand under a shower and let the water drown him.”  
Sam nodded. “That’s what I thought so I did a bit of research last night. Jordi Barrett wasn’t the first. I cross referenced police reports from the state and found 3 cases going back 5 years. There may be more.”  
Dean leaned back in his chair. “All the same?”  
Sam nodded. “Same cause of death, all victims have the same profile, successful, 30’s and fit.”  
Dean considered for a short while.. “So, what are you thinking?”  
Sam sighed. “Sounds like a hex. Something kept those guys in a position so the water killed them.”  
“Dammit, I hate witches.” groaned Dean. He suddenly slapped his hands on the table making his brother jump.  
“Well, where are we headed?”  
“Austin, Texas.”  
Dean groaned louder. “That’s a 2 day drive.”  
Sam nodded. “Do you want to pass it on to a more local hunter?”  
Dean pondered for a moment. It had been a quiet few weeks, Castiel and Jack having left for a trip down South. The monsters seemed to be giving them a break recently and the quietness was beginning to edge towards boredom. A road trip sounded good.  
“No, I think we need to get out of here for a while.”  
Sam finished his breakfast. “Ok, be ready to go in an hour?”  
“Yeah, ok. I’ll let Cas and Jack know where we are going. Maybe they can hook up with us when they’re finished in Louisiana.”

Two days later, both Winchester brothers sat in the Impala outside a nondescript apartment complex, similar to the other 3 blocks in the development. Sam reeled off the information that he had discovered.  
“So, Jordi Barratt, successful administrator for a small town coffee wholesale company. Age 30, fit and healthy, looked like he visited the gym on a regular basis. Rented a 2 bed apartment within easy commuting distance of his office. Single, no kids.” read Sam from his research notes.  
“And a hot Girlfriend.” added Dean  
Sam nodded. “Yeah, his facebook has recent pictures of him with a blonde.” he looked down at his notes. “Ginny.” he added. “She lives with her sister at the apartment across the way from Jordi.”  
He looked up at the building. “Ok, let’s go and see the grieving ‘widow’ and see what she’s got to say. My money is on her being the culprit.”  
Sam nodded. Both hunters knew that Ginny would have to be treated as a prime suspect due to her closeness to the victim. Until proved otherwise they would have to be careful of not alerting her to their suspicions.  
Exiting the car, they made their way over to the building, their FBI personas in place. Climbing the stairs to the first floor Dean stooped to expertly pick the lock. As the door clicked open, the door across the way opened and a pale blonde haired young woman poked her head out.  
Sam kicked his brother and Dean turned with a disarming smile to the neighbour.  
Taking their fake FBI passes from their pockets, they flashed them briefly.  
“Agent Tanner and Agent Dunne.” stated Dean. “and you are?”  
“Ginny Faulkner.” answered the young woman shakily. “Are you here because of poor Jordi?”  
Dean assessed the pretty girl in front of him. He could see what Jordi had seen in her. She had long blonde hair, green eyes and all the curves in the right places. Perfect white teeth worried at luscious pink lips and for a moment Dean was mesmerized. Berating himself he continued.  
He indicated to the dead guys flat. “Did you know Jordi Barratt?”  
Ginny swallowed and nodded.  
“Yes, we were seeing each other -I found him.” she said quietly.  
Sam looked down at her with sympathy “I’m sorry to hear that. Could you show us where you found him?”  
Ginny hesitated but Sam gave her an encouraging smile.  
“I know it’s tough but we just have a few details we need for our report.”  
Ginny nodded. “Ok, just give me a minute to ring my sister. She’ll be on her way back from work and will wonder where I am.” she said and closed the door.  
The brothers entered Jordis apartment and were looking around when she came in behind them. She seemed to hesitate before steeling herself and stepping over the threshold.  
“Sorry” she said quietly as she saw the agents watching her.  
Sam came over. “I understand this will be difficult to bring up bad memories.”  
“It’s the first time I’ve come into the flat since he died.”  
“Just take your time and tell us what happened.” Sam said assuringly.  
Ginny looked around the apartment with a sad smile.  
“I had just got out of the shower We’d been out riding and were both pretty mucky so needed to get cleaned up before going out for something to eat.”  
“Riding?” asked Dean.  
“Yes, I own a horse which is stabled at a local ranch. I introduced Jordi to the delight of horses. We would regularly take rides out at the weekend and Jordi was getting more proficient every time we went.” Her breath hitched. “I’ll miss those times, we used to go to the waterfall, our special place.” she said with a soft sob.  
Dean and Sam nodded sympathetically. Her grief seemed genuine.  
“So you showered first and Jordi followed?” Sam prompted.  
“Yes.”  
“And you didn’t hear anything?”  
“I had the hair dryer on. When I turned it off, I wondered what was taking so long so went to the door. He was stood under the shower with his head back and mouth wide open. As I watched he collapsed. I tried to revive him but he was gone.” Tears began to fill her eyes.  
“I’m sorry Ginny.” murmured Sam.  
She nodded and looked up at the handsome dark haired tall man in front of her. His sympathy seemed genuine and a shiver of attraction ran down her spine.  
“Why are the FBI involved?” she asked quietly. “The sheriff's department investigated.”  
“We have an obligation to investigate sudden deaths. It’s just a little strange that a fit 30 year old drowns in a shower and it flagged up on our system. We were in the area and were asked to investigate the circumstances.”  
“And have you?”  
“Well to be honest we’ve only just got here but having read the police reports and the autopsy report it appears like a straightforward case. It was probably a medical episode. It happens occasionally, they think maybe he had an epilectic seizure.”  
Ginny nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”  
“I’m sorry for your loss Ginny. I guess you two were close.” Sam asked.  
Ginny smiled fondly. “We’d only been going out for a couple of months but he was a good man. I don’t know whether it would have been a long term relationship but we were having a fun time together.”  
Dean saw the look that Ginny threw at his brother and hummed to himself.  
“Ok, thanks for your help. We’ll have a look around and get back to you if we have any more questions.” he said firmly, wanting a bit of privacy so they could search for hex bags or similar.  
“Hello Ginny?” a voice came from the door and another blonde head appeared, glasses perched on her brow. “I just got back and saw the door open. Oh …” she stopped as she noticed the two handsome men in front of her.  
Ginny turned and called. “It’s ok Sally. These guys are here from the FBI. They’re investigating Jordis death. This is my sister Sally. We live together across the hall.”  
Sally entered the room and Dean assessed her. She was a little older than Ginny and appeared a little more suspicious.  
“It was an accident right?” she stated. “Why the interest from the FBI?”  
“It’s just routine.” assured Sam but Sally wasn’t appeased.  
“I knew he was too good to be true. The FBI doesn’t investigate cases like this without a reason. What did he do? Did he have a record?”  
“No Sally, he didn't.” cried Ginny indignantly. “Sally never got on with Jordi.” she added. “Said he was too good to be true.”  
Dean frowned. “So you think he wasn’t what he seemed?”  
“Yes he was.” stated Ginny firmly. “Sally is a bit of an overprotective big sister but Jordi was one of the good guys.”  
“Your choice of men hasn’t been brilliant in the past Ginny.” snapped Sally.  
Sam looked at his brother, understanding sibling over-protectiveness only too well.  
“Sometimes it takes a few frogs before you find your prince.” he commented and nearly laughed at the look on his brother's face.  
Dean took over. “You two go back to your apartment. If we need anything we know where to find you. However,” he addressed Ginny.” We at the moment have no reason to suspect Jordi was anything other than what he appeared to be.”  
Sally nodded and took her sister's hand and pulled her away. Sam waved at the younger sister as she left and then turned back to his brother  
“Phew. Talk about family issues.”  
“Rather not.” muttered Dean. He looked around.  
“Ok, let's have a look around and see if we can find any hex bags.”

For the next hour and a half they expertly searched the apartment but came up with no clues. Dean stood in the bathroom, casting his eyes over the various bottles and lifted up the half used shower gel. “Exotic Mimosa.” he huffed.  
Sam popped his head through the doorway. “Did you say something?”  
Dean held up the shower gel. “That’s why he died. Embarrassment from using this girly shit.” he commented, smiling at Sams bitchface.  
“Not funny dude..” he muttered. “Apart from killer shower gel, did you find anything?”  
Dean put the shower gel back and shook his head.  
“Nothing - you?”  
Sam sighed. “Nothing.”  
They walked into the lounge and Dean looked around.  
“Maybe it was just a medical episode.”  
Sam nodded slowly. “Maybe. It’s just that there has been more than one death. I think we need to investigate those and see if there are any parallels.”  
Dean huffed. “Yeah. I’ll go and visit the coffee place while you get some more info on the other guys.” He indicated to the hallway. “You’d better tell the delectable Ginny that we’re going.”  
Sam raised his eyebrows. “Why me?”  
His brother slapped his arm. “Don’t tell me you didn’t see how she was making eyes at you when you were acting all concerned?”  
Sam frowned. “Dean, that's not appropriate. Her boyfriend has just died. She was just upset and I was being empathic.”  
“Take from it from an expert, the Winchester charm is a dangerous thing. Be careful Sammy, you may be next on her radar.”  
Sam sighed. “That Winchester charm is dangerous but maybe it’s something we can use. I’m still not 100% convinced that the sisters are not involved.” he thought to himself. He knocked on the sisters apartment door.  
Sally opened the door, Ginny stood behind her.  
“Thanks for your help.” he said, looking over the older sister’s shoulder to Ginny. Their gazes linked and Sam felt a little frisson as she smiled back at him  
“So, did you get what you needed?” asked Sally with a small frown evidently hoping they were finished with the enquiries. Her sister was clearly upset by recent events and she wanted to get rid of the two tall agents, no matter how good looking they were.  
He nodded. “Yeah, it doesn’t look as if there is any foul play.” He hesitated.  
“I just need you and your sisters phone numbers in case we have any more questions.”  
“Sure.” said Sally and moved away to write the numbers down for him.  
Left alone, Ginny and Sam looked at each other.  
“I’m sorry you have had to go through this trauma Ginny. From what I’ve read it looks like Jordi was a great guy.”  
“He was.” she said with a sad smile. “But if you need any background information, give me a call and we can meet up. Maybe over a coffee?”  
Sam smiled, the attraction mutual. “I’d like that.” he murmured before Sally pushed her way between them. She handed him the phone number and bid him a firm farewell.  
Sam stepped back and the door was shut resolutely and he was dismissed.  
“I just love overprotective siblings.” he muttered to himself and turned to walk down the stairs. He joined the older Winchester in the Impala and his brother immediately turned to him.  
“Well?” he asked with a grin.  
Sam held up the paper. “Got both phone numbers.”  
“Good boy.” Dean said. “So, how long till you take her out? She won't be able to resist your hunky good looks and charm.”  
Sam sighed at the good natured teasing. “Well it depends if we have further enquiries. Drop me off at the motel and I'll get on with my research on the other victims.”  
Dean started the car and they drove the short distance to the motel they had booked for a couple of nights. He dropped Sam off and continued on to Jordi Barratts place of work.

Peloton Coffee Stores was based in a small warehouse unit on a run down industrial estate just off the main road, a couple of miles from town. Dean pulled the Impala into a car park space and entered the single door designated as Reception. Upon entering he found a small office with a door at the back leading into the main warehouse. A ginger haired man was working in front of the computer and he looked up as the visitor entered. He rose to greet Dean. The older Winchester watched as he walked over to him. This guy looked like he worked out but looked weary.  
“Hi.” said the man.  
Dean greeted him and held up his FBI Badge. “Agent Tanner.” he introduced himself.  
“Simon Platt” countered the ginger haired man. “What can I do for you?"  
“I understand Jordi Barratt was an employee here.”  
Simon's breath hitched and he nodded. “Yeah, Jordi and me were good friends. I still can’t believe he’s gone.”  
“Have you worked together long?”  
Simon nodded. “Best buddies since High School. This is my dad's company so we both started working here when we left school. Jordi loved the job and was a great member of the team. It’s so unfair what happened to him. He had his whole life ahead of him.”  
Dean nodded and consulted his notes. “So you two were close,”  
“Yeah, well until he hooked up with Ginny a couple of months back. He fell hard for her and kinda neglected his friends more and more. Took to going up to the ranch to ride on the weekends so I only got to hang out with him at work in the week.”  
Dean nodded. “Yeah, that happens when a girlfriend comes along. Did you get on with Ginny?”  
Simon nodded. “Yeah, she was nice. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for Jordi. They were a really good match and to be honest, I was jealous as hell. Have you met Ginny?  
Dean smiled. “Yeah, she’s a looker. Also met her sister, Sally.”  
Simon pulled a face.  
“You don’t think much of her, I take it?” laughed Dean.  
Simon shrugged. “I only met her a couple of times but that was enough. I got a bit of a vibe from her that she thought Jordi wasn’t good enough for Ginny.”  
Dean agreed. “Yeah, even Ginny described her as an over protective sister. Did Jordi have problems with her?”  
“No. Jordi was a sweetheart, he just explained to Sally that he was serious about her Sister and that she had no reason to worry. Sally replied saying that she thought Jordi was too good to be true and that he had one chance. If he broke her Sisters heart then Sally would come after him and cut out and eat his own heart. We laughed about that.”  
“Laughed?” commented Dean with a gulp.  
“Oh she obviously wouldn’t. She was just being over dramatic but Jordi loved Ginny and had no intention of breaking her heart. He told me that he was thinking of popping the question.”  
Dean felt saddened. By the sound of it Jordi died when he was at the happiest time of his life.  
“I’m sorry. From what we’ve found, Jordi was a great guy.”  
“He was.” replied Simon. “I’ll miss him. There's a lot of people who thought a lot of Jordi”  
A thought occurred to him. “Why are the FBI involved? It was an accident wasn’t it?”  
Dean nodded. “Yeah, we think so. We need to investigate strange deaths but it looks like he had a seizure and unfortunately was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  
“Such a waste.” commented Simon vacantly, obviously missing his friend a great deal.  
“Yeah.” agreed Dean. He shook Simon's hand and left the ginger haired man with a sympathetic farewell. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Sam clicked on the screen and a picture came up of a healthy 31 year old man, clad in a wet suit and holding a pair of water skis. He scrolled through the photo file of the facebook page and spotted what he was looking for. “That makes three”, he breathed and looked up sharply as the door opened and his brother returned.  
“How are you getting on?” asked Dean, shrugging off his jacket and untying the black neck tie.  
Sam leaned back and rubbed his tired eyes. He had been scrolling through the screen for the last hour and a half.  
“There are 3 cases in the state going back over 5 years. Tom Bingham, age 29, Rory McDonald age 32 and Jake Clark age 31.”  
Dean moved over and looked at the page on the screen. It was a facebook profile of a good looking dark haired man.  
“That's Jake Clark?” he said and Sam nodded.  
“All 3 died in the bathroom. All put down to medical episodes and drowning.”  
“So natural causes and no-one linked them.”  
“No, because they were in different counties. There was no reason for their deaths to be investigated.”  
“So, no leads.”  
Sam smiled indulgently.. “Well to the normal investigator, no. But to Sam Winchester, yes.”  
Dean huffed. “What did you come up with Sammy?.”  
Sam chose to show him. He scrolled through the pictures and stopped on one of the latest ones.  
“Of my god., that's ..” gasped Dean.  
“Ginny.” confirmed Sam. “and she was also pictured with Tom and Rory on their facebook pages. I’ve got to do a little more research but it looks like Ginny was their girlfriend shortly before their deaths.”  
“I knew she was too good to be true. So we're dealing with a black widow.”  
Sam shrugged, “maybe but I’m not sure what she gets out of it.”  
Dean looked at his watch as his stomach grumbled.  
“OK, lets get changed and have a bite to eat and I will fill you in about my visit to the coffee store.”  
Sam nodded and closed his laptop and after changing into more comfortable jeans and plaid shirts they made their way across the road to the diner. Over a meal of pasta salad and cheeseburger they discussed the case and what Dean had found out from Simon.  
Sam took a drink and shook his head slowly.  
“I just don’t get it. Ginny was obviously upset over Jordi. It didn’t look like an act.”  
“Hmm.” agreed Dean. “What about the overprotective sister?”  
“Maybe. You’re overprotective Dean but you wouldn’t kill my girlfriends. You would be happy for me I hope.”  
Dean seemed to take too long to answer and Sam looked sharply at him.  
“I hope.”  
“Yeah, of course.” he said hastily. He felt a little discomforted. He was aware that he was overprotective over Sam but their life was very different from normal people. If one of the girlfriends was harming his brother, would he get them out of the way? Yes, he decided It would be easy for him if it meant saving Sam from harm. His thoughts turned to the demon Ruby and all the trouble she had caused between the brothers.  
He broke the uncomfortable silence.  
“I guess we need to go and visit these other guys' home towns and see if we can find out their stories. Once we’ve done that we’ll know if we’re dealing with a psycho sibling.”  
Sam nodded and finished his drink.  
“Yeah.” he agreed. He was unsettled by Dean's vagueness on the matter of overprotective siblings and his thoughts went to Ruby. Dean had been convinced that Ruby was bad news from the start but Sam had been too close to see the harm she was doing and her efforts to split the brothers. When it came to it, he had held Ruby whilst Dean stabbed her. It was a subject that they had never really resolved.  
They returned to the room and Sam wrote a list of addresses and they left that afternoon for Havant, the hometown of Tom Bingham.

Sam looked at the address and nodded. “This is it.” he said.  
Dean looked up at the smart country club. “Looks expensive”  
“He was a lifeguard at the pool complex. He was found in the shower block in February 2016.”  
“Ok, let's go and see who remembers him.” sighed Dean and got out of the car.  
Walking over to the reception, once again clad in their FBI personas they asked to see the manager. They were asked to wait and shortly a tall distinguished older gentleman came to greet them. He ushered them into the office away from prying eyes. A visit from the FBI was not good advertising for the exclusive country club.  
“I’m Henry Walker. I'm the manager of the Havant Country Club. What is this about?” he asked politely.  
Dean pulled a photo that Sam had printed of Tom Bingham.  
“We’re making enquiries about a previous employee of yours. Tom Bingham, he was a lifeguard in 2016.”  
Henry nodded his head sadly. “Oh yes, Tom. I’m afraid he died a long time ago.”  
Dean nodded. “Yes, we are aware of that. We are investigating another case and his name came up. Is there anyone who was close to him that we could talk to?”  
Henry thought for a moment. “The best person to talk to is his brother, Robert. He works in the gym. I’ll get someone to page him and you can use my office.”  
“That would be appreciated.” nodded Dean.  
While they waited, they found out that Tom was considered a good employee, straight forward and hardworking and very popular with the female clientele of the club.  
5 minutes later there was a knock at the door and a tall dark haired man in his early 30s entered hesitantly.  
“You wanted to see me Mr Walker?” he asked and Henry stood up.  
“These two gentlemen are with the FBI. They are investigating a case and need to have a chat with you about your brother Tom. I’ll leave you to it. Just let me know when you’ve finished.”  
Rob swallowed and turned to the two men in suits.  
“What about Tom?” he asked “He’s been dead for 4 years.”  
Dean nodded and indicated Rob to sit down.  
“His name has come up in line with our enquiries into a case. At the time of his death was he seeing anyone?”  
Rob thought back. “Tom was very popular with the ladies if you know what I mean. There was a different girl on his arm every week.”  
Sam leaned forward. “Do you remember this one?” He held out a photo of Ginny.  
Rob studied it. “Yeah, she was a looker. Jenny I think.”  
“Close enough. Ginny” said Sam. “What do you remember about her?”  
Rob shrugged and looked at the picture.  
“She was pretty and too good for my brother Tom tended to get bored easily and most of his girlfriends dumped him when they found they weren’t exclusive.” he pondered and then something clicked.  
“She had a sister that got really upset when they broke up.”  
The brothers exchanged glances.  
“Oh god, it isn’t Ginny's death you're investigating is it?” Rob gasped. “She was really sweet, I kinda had a soft spot for her. When they broke up she left town.”  
“Did her sister threaten Tom?” asked Dean.  
Rob smiled. “She was mad as hell. She cornered him and made sure he knew the error of his ways. His balls were bruised for weeks.”  
“She assaulted him?.”  
“Gave him a kicking in the baby department.”  
“Did the police get involved?”  
“Nah. Tom was kinda embarrassed that he’d been whupped by a woman and the sisters left town the next day.”  
Dean smiled as Rob commented. “He deserved it. He’d screwed around with so many women it was only a matter of time.”  
“When was this?” questioned Sam.  
“The Fall before his death. 4 months later he collapsed from a heart attack. I guess his lifestyle caught up with him.”  
“So the attack wasn’t related to his collapse?”  
Rob shook his head. “No, he was juggling three women at the time so I guess the strain got to him.”  
“I’m sorry for your loss.” said Sam and Rob nodded.  
“Thanks. You didn’t answer about Ginny?”  
“She’s ok.” assured Dean.  
“Good, that’s something.” Rob said.  
Dean stood up “Well, you’ve been very helpful.”  
Rob studied him. “Has her sister attacked someone else?”  
Dean shook his head.  
“Not as far as we know. Ginny is in a relationship with a guy who’s name also came up with a case we’re investigating.  
“Did she find a good guy? Is she happy?”  
Sam reassured him “Yeah”. He lied, seeing no reason to share the truth with him.

The Winchesters left the club and drove onto their next town, Grayton to investigate the next victim Rory McDonald. From the police report, the Winchester brothers tracked down the dead man's sister, Jane McDonald. Having previously rang to arrange to visit, she had welcomed them into her neat home that she had shared with her brother. Jane was mid 20’s, dark skinned with a well endowed figure, muscles defined on her arms.  
‘Definitely a gym bunny.’ thought Dean as they entered the lounge.  
She indicated for them to sit on the sofa and then sat on the single chair, not offering them a drink. The brothers got the feeling that they weren’t particularly welcome.  
After seating themselves she studied both of them, having inspected their FBI credentials before allowing them into the house.  
“So.” she prompted. “You’re enquiring about my brother.”  
Dean nodded, Sam allowing him to lead the conversation.  
“Yes. As I explained over the phone, Rory’s name has come up in connection with an investigation and we would just like a little background knowledge.”  
Jane nodded. “Ok. What do you want to know?”  
Dean looked at his notebook. “Your brother died in September 2017. The report says he collapsed in the bathroom. The coroner ascertained natural causes.”  
Jane nodded. “Yes. I found him when I got home from work. He had a seizure and fell, knocked himself unconscious. Unfortunately he fell face down into the water.”  
“And he was on his own.? There were no signs of anyone else being in the house?”  
“No. The door was locked as usual - we are pretty keen on security as this area isn’t the best.”  
“You lived together?”  
“Yeah. When mum and dad died they left a small inheritance and as we have always been close, it made sense for us to buy a place together. It was only going to be short term. The agreement was that if one or both of us settled down with a partner then we would sell up and buy our own separate places.”  
“That must have been difficult at times. I know that if I lived with my brother he would drive me mad.” said Dean, feeling the heat of a bitch gaze from Sam.  
Jane shook her head. “Not really. Rory was pretty easy going. We gave each other space and it seemed to work ok.”  
Sam interjected. “So did Rory have a girlfriend?”  
Jane smiled. “Oh yes, Rory called himself a “babe magnet”. We both used the gym every day and he was pretty well ripped. They never seemed to stick around long though after they found out.”  
The brothers looked up sharply. “Found out what?”  
Jane smiled sadly. “Rory had someone non-standard tastes if you get what I mean.”  
“No?” said Dean blankly.  
She sighed. “In the sexual department.”  
“He was kinky you mean.” declared Dean, earning a dig from his brother.  
Jane shrugged. “He liked bondage play. It didn’t suit some girls' tastes.”  
Dean nodded wisely. “Each to their own.” he said. He wasn’t averse to a little bondage now and again.  
Sam continued.  
“Do you remember a girl called Ginny?”  
Jane nodded vaguely. “Maybe, do you have a picture?”  
Sam leaned across and showed her a picture of Ginny.  
“Yes.” she nodded. “She went out with Rory for a couple of months or so but it didn’t work out. Rory was sad when they split up and blamed himself as he said he’d got a little too rough one session and made her cry.”  
“And you haven’t seen her since?”  
“No. We were glad. Her sister came to our house and threatened to hang Rory if he ever saw Ginny again. She was kinda scary and we believed her.”  
Dean smiled despite himself.  
“Yeah, I think we know who you are referring to. She’s done it to a few of her sisters' ex-boyfriends.”  
Jane looked at them. “So, you’re investigating the crazy bitch?”  
Dean nodded. “Appears so. She's cropping up a lot in our investigations.”  
After a further few minutes of talking they thanked Jane for her candour and returned to the Impala.  
Dean looked at his watch. It was 5.25pm and the roads were starting to fill up with rush hour traffic. He glanced over at his brother who appeared to be deep in thought.  
“Sally is now definitely number one suspect,” said the younger Winchester. “I can’t help feeling sorry for Ginny having to live with such an overprotective sibling. Can’t imagine what that would be like.”  
He threw a cheeky smile at his overprotective brother who frowned.  
“Cheeky …. Next time you get tied up, don’t expect me to save you.”  
“Yeah, you will.” said Sam and threw a tired smile at him. “How many times have you threatened people after they hurt me?”  
Dean pondered. “Maybe I’m not so different from Sally in that context but I wouldn’t kill anyone without them deserving it.  
“Wouldn’t you?” Sam asked quietly.  
Dean shook his head. “I have my limits Sam and offing your siblings ex’s is definitely over the threshold. I don’t think messing around with other chicks or a bit of bondage rope play ticks that box.”  
Sams stomach rumbled. “Let’s go and get something to eat and then we’ll go and track down anyone who knew the third victim. We may as well get the full picture.”  
Dean nodded. “Sounds good.” and started the engine as his brother began to scroll down to find the next place to visit.

It was nearly 9 o’clock before they arrived at Davidston, the hometown of the third victim Jake Clark. Sams enquiries had led them to a smart apartment block just off the main square that was the home of Jake Clark's final girlfriend.  
The brothers strolled up to the main door and Dean scanned for the bell of apartment number 6.  
Pressing it, they waited patiently until a female voice answered the phone.  
“Hello?” she asked  
Dean looked directly into the camera of the video entry intercom and flashed his badge, Sam doing the same behind him.  
“FBI, Are you Laura Standish?”  
They heard a gasp and a nervous “Yes, that’s me. What do you want?”  
“I’m sorry it’s late but we need to have a chat with you about your former boyfriend, Jake Clark.. May we come in?”  
They heard the door buzz and Dean pushed it open. A door opened and a voice from above called down.  
“Second floor, come on up.”  
They climbed the stairs and were met by a nervous looking blonde haired woman. Dean estimated her to be around 24 and very attractive, dressed in jeans and a simple t shirt, her blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail She welcomed them in and a short while later they were sat round the dining table, a coffee in front of each of them.  
“So, you want to talk about Jake?” she asked. “You know he’s dead right.”  
Dean nodded. “Yeah He died in November 2019 didn’t he?”  
Laura nodded. “Dropped dead in the shower. Karmas a bitch.”  
Dean raised his eyebrows. “Why do you say that?”  
She sighed. “When we first met Jake seemed like the ideal man. Strong, fit, good looking, wealthy and successful. He treated me well for the first couple of months but gradually he became controlling.”  
“Did he abuse you?” asked Sam quietly and they saw her nod.  
“Yes. He was very possessive. I didn’t think much of it at first. I thought he was just being protective but it got to a point when I couldn’t meet my friends and became more and more isolated. When he had too much to drink he hurt me. He was a nasty piece of work. If it hadn't been for Sally, I don’t think I’d be here now. “  
“Sally?” asked Dean, leaning forward.  
“Yes, she met me as I left work. She told me her Sister had gone out with Jake previously but had managed to see through him earlier and saw sense and left him after the first time he hit her. Sally helped me get my stuff together and gave me some money to get away.”  
The brothers shared a glance.  
“So she was keeping an eye on Jake?”  
“Yeah. She said she got her sister away from him and kept an eye on him in case he found her. She saw us out one day and could see the signs of his abusive behaviour and took it upon herself to help me as well.”  
“Are you still in touch with Sally?”  
“No” she murmured sadly. “She told me that we needed to isolate ourselves so that Jake could never connect us.”  
“And when was this?”  
“About a month before he died.”  
“Did he not try to find you?”  
“I suppose so, but I quit my job and left the area so he wouldn’t have known where to look. He would have been mad as hell. I’d like to think that my escape contributed to his stress and caused his collapse. I read in the paper that he died and finally was able to return back to Davidston.”  
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. It sounds like a nightmare for you.” murmured Dean and she smiled sadly across the table at him.  
“It took me a while to get myself back together but I’m doing better. It’ll be a while till I trust any man again though.”  
“Oh you just haven’t met the right one yet.” assured Dean with a twinkle in eye.  
Sam sighed at his brothers obvious flirting.  
After a half an hour chat, the brothers had all the information they required. Sally was definitely confirmed as suspect no.1. They rose to leave and walked to the exit and  
Dean shook Laura's hand at the front door.  
“Thanks for your help Laura. I know it’s difficult but try and get on with your life. Not all guys are like Jake.”  
She smiled sadly. “I know It’ll just be a little while before I feel safe.”  
She looked directly into the eyes of the attractive man in front of her..  
“But I'm sure I’ll be ok as long as there are men like you in this world..”  
Dean looked down at her with a sexy smile and Sam observed the crackle of Winchester charm passing between the blonde and his brother  
“Oh man.” he thought and cleared his throat, interrupting the moment.  
“It’s late, thanks Laura. We’ll let you know if we need any more information, you’ve been very helpful.”  
Dean sent a last wide grin at Laura before turning and following his brother to the car. It was nearly 10 o’clock and they had an hours drive back to their motel in Austin.

“So” Dean said quietly as he drove. “It looks like Sally is the killer. Next question, how is she doing it?”  
Sam shrugged. “My guess would be a spell or hex.”  
“But how is it delivered? There was nothing in the flat.”  
“I need to narrow down the search, there’s lots of different potions that she could be using.” Sam mused.  
Dean signed. “Ok. I need to get into her flat to see if we can get any evidence. How do you fancy using the Winchester charm on poor Ginny?”  
Sam shrugged. Spending an afternoon with beautiful Ginny wouldn’t be a chore to him.  
“Ok. I’ll take her out for a coffee and keep her occupied whilst you have a snoop around.  
He yawned.  
“However, it’s been a long day so all I want is a shower and bed tonight.  
“Amen brother” agreed Dean, gunning the engine.  
Half way back Sams phone rang and picked it up noting the callers name on the screen.  
“Hey Jack. How’s things going?”  
“Good. We found it was a wood sprite causing mischief. We tracked him down and sent him back to where he belonged. Are you still in Austin?”  
“Yeah, just on our way back there now.”  
“Cas says we can come and join you if you like?”  
“That’ll be a good idea. Maybe you can help out - we’re looking at a spate of killings. We’ve identified the killer but can’t figure out how she’s doing it.”  
Jack spoke to Cas and then came back to the phone.  
“Cas says we can get to you by tomorrow night. He wants you to text the address over.”  
“Fine. It’ll be good to see you both.”

The next morning after breakfast Sam rang Ginny.  
“Hi Sam.” she said brightly, seemingly pleased to hear from him.  
“Hey Ginny. I was wondering if you were available to meet up for a coffee this morning?”  
“Sounds great. Sally is going to work soon so I’m at a loose end this morning. How about 10.30am at Costellos? It’s just a short walk from the apartment.”  
Sam glanced at his watch.  
“That’s fine. I look forward to seeing you.”  
Ginny turned to her sister who was sat opposite her at the breakfast table. She smiled at Sallys expression.  
“Be careful Ginny.” she warned.  
“I will be. How can I not be safe with a strong handsome FBI agent.”  
“You know what I mean. They’re definitely suspicious that Jordis death wasn’t natural. Just watch what you say - I don’t want them pinning any allegations on us.”  
Ginny frowned. “But Jordis death was natural.” she said seriously.  
Sally nodded. “Of course it was but I’ve come across these kind of guys before. There’s something they’re not happy with.”  
“It’s just a coffee.” declared Ginny. She leaned over and patted her sisters hand.  
“I’ll be careful and if I get uncomfortable I’ll let him down gently.”  
“I thought you were planning on going up to the ranch today?”  
“Yes, I’ll see Sam for a coffee and go up after lunch.”  
Sally nodded. She knew she was being a little paranoid but the appearance of two FBI agents a couple of weeks after the death of her Sisters boyfriend had unsettled her. However, it was only a coffee and she realised that she had to let Ginny have a little freedom. She finished her coffee and rose.  
“Ok honey. I’ll get off to work. If you need me, ring me.”  
“I will do.” sang Ginny, heading off to her room to carefully choose her outfit for the date.

Dean sat outside the apartment and saw Sally and Ginny leave. Ginny bid goodbye to her sister and set off in the direction of the coffee shop. Sally got into a small silver car and drove off in the direction of her workplace  
“Ok” said Dean to himself. “Let's do this.”  
He gained entry to the block and expertly picked the lock on the sisters flat door. Letting himself in he glanced around. It was a nice place with lots of feminine touches. Starting in the lounge he began to examine the rooms, looking for anything that would suggest the potion or spell that was killing the douchebags. He saw a photograph of the two sisters, smiling and relaxing by the side of a lake and took a photo of it on his phone. He checked the kitchen but there was nothing that jumped out at him. He entered the bedroom of Sally and looked carefully through her drawers and cupboards but came up with nothing unusual. He searched Ginny's room but apart from the usual perfumes and lotions there didn’t seem to be anything. In the bathroom he spotted a small bottle of mimosa oil and hummed. “I am being haunted by Mimosa” he thought and then looked vacantly around but couldn’t find anything suspicious. After a final check of the bathroom he concluded that his search was a bust.  
“How did you do it?” he sighed, taking a last look around. His eye caught the corner of a card poking out from under the cupboard near the door. It had probably blown off the top when he opened the door. He bent and picked it up. It read Wanda’s Homeopathic Bazaar. A tingle of suspicion needled into his brain. He was looking for a potion and a homeopath could offer the ingredients to create a spell. Pocketing the card he left the apartment, making sure that everything was left in the same place and locking the door behind him. He walked down to his car and drove to Wandas.

Meanwhile Sam and Ginny were having a good time. She had asked how the case was going and Sam had told her that they had agreed there appeared to be no foul play and that Jordi had died from an unfortunate medical episode. Relieved Ginny relaxed and they got along easily, laughing about how Sally was such an overprotective sister. Sam guided the conversation to ex boyfriends and Ginny just laughed and said she’d not had a good track record of boyfriends over the last few years. She told him about her past troubles with a philanderer, a pervert and a control freak.  
“Tell you the truth Sam.” she said. “I’m glad i’ve got Sally. She’s got me out of a few tricky relationships.”  
“Oh?” asked Sam leaning forward.  
“Yeah. I know she thumped at least one and threatened a couple of others.”  
Sam shivered dramatically.. “I hope I don’t get on the wrong side of her.” he said with a smile and Ginny laughed.  
“You treat me right and you’ll get on with my Sister. Tom the lifeguard got a pretty bad kicking in a painful area.”  
“The lifeguard. Was he the one who you said two timed you?”  
“Yeah. More like three timed me. He thought he was god's gift to women. He was good looking but unfortunately he knew it and he couldn’t resist temptation. “  
“I don’t know what he was thinking messing around such a lovely girl as you.” declared Sam, supplementing the comment with a dark gaze into her eyes.  
Ginny melted under the puppy dog gaze. She decided she liked Agent Sam Dunne very much. She looked down and saw that they had finished their coffee.  
“I’m due up at the ranch this afternoon Fancy a ride? There’s a beautiful waterfall I’d like to show you.”  
Sam smiled and nodded. “I’ve not ridden for a while but that sounds good. Let me check in with my partner first to see if he needs me for anything.”  
Ginny smiled at him. “And I’d better report back to my over protective sister.” she laughed.  
“Pick me up at the apartment in 20 minutes?”  
“Sure.”  
Sam watched as Ginny exited the coffee shop, hoping that Dean was finished. He pulled out his phone and dialled quickly.

Deans phone rang just as he parked up outside Wanda's Bazaar.  
“Hey Sammy.” he greeted.  
“Ginnys on her way back to the apartment. How are you getting on?”  
“I’ve got a lead.” answered Dean and updated his brother on his discovery.  
“Sounds promising?” commented the younger Winchester.  
“How are you getting on with the delectable Ginny?”  
“Great Ginny has asked me to go on a ride with her this afternoon.”  
“That’s quick work Sammy.”  
“Horse riding Dean.”  
“That’s adventurous.”  
“Yeah” replied Sam ruefully. “It’s been a while but I think I remember how to do it.”  
“Ok, well be careful. I’ll see you when you get back later. Have fun.”  
“Yeah. She’s taking me to see a waterfall.”  
“That’s what she calls it hey?” insinuated Dean and laughed at his brother's long suffering sigh.  
“Catch up with you later Dean.”  
“Yeah. Be safe Sammy.”  
“Always.”

The middle aged owner of the self named Wanda's Bazaar looked up as the doorbell jangled and she smiled a welcome at the good looking man who entered. She greeted him warmly.  
“Welcome, how can I help you?” she asked, admiring the handsome man in front of him. Dressed in jeans, boots and plaid shirt, he didn’t match her usual type of customer.  
“Agent Tanner, FBI” He flashed his ID. “I’m just wondering if you could help me with a line of enquiry.”  
Wanda raised her eyebrows but then looked at the photo that he was holding up.  
“Do you know this woman?”  
Wanda studied the picture. “Yes, she’s been in here a few times.”  
Dean nodded. “And what did she buy?”  
Wanda thought back. “Essential oils. She was having trouble sleeping due to nightmares and asked what I would recommend.”  
“And what did you recommend?”  
“Mimosa Oil. It relieves stress and has a calming effect. A couple of drops on your pillow will give you a good night's sleep.”  
Dean mused. It sounded like that would be beneficial for both brothers.  
“So you sold her some Mimosa Oil?”  
“Yes. What's this about? She’s not had a bad reaction has she? I did warn her it could be dangerous if she used too much.”  
“Like how?” asked Dean, seeing an inkling of something of interest. “And how much would be too much?”  
“Probably no more than 10 drops in one application. It can cause a degree of lethargy. That’s why I warned her.”  
Dean nodded and then realised that Wanda was panicking.  
“It's ok.” he assured her. “She’s fine. It’s just a routine background enquiry related to a local case.”  
He watched as she breathed a sigh of relief.  
“Thank goodness for that. Is that all?”  
Dean nodded. “Yeah, thank you” he said and bid her goodbye.

As he walked back to the Impala he considered the new information. Something was sparking a memory in the use of Mimosa. He concentrated and realised that Jordi had used Exotic Mimosa shower gel. Maybe he had been right about Jordi being killed by it. Anyway, now he had proof that Sally had visited the shop. It was fortunate that Sam had taken Ginny away from the area as it left him free to deal with Sally. As he neared the car, deep in thought, he felt a hard shove push him into the warm metal.  
“What the hell?” he yelled as he felt his arm grabbed and twisted painfully up his back. He felt a strong body press against his back.  
“Why did you break into my apartment?” snarled a very angry female voice and Dean gasped as she pushed his arm up a little more.  
Expertly he kicked back and hooked his foot around her leg. He flipped and Sally found her hand forced away and pinned with her back to the car, Dean glared at her  
“Don't give me that. We’re onto you Sally. We know you killed at least 4 men.”  
She gaped at him in shock.. “What?”  
“”Tom, Rory, Jake and Jordi - your Sisters boyfriends You drugged them and drowned them.”  
Dean frowned at the confusion on the woman's face.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” she cried.  
“Don’t try denying it. We’ve got all the proof we need.”  
“I didn’t kill anyone?” declared Sally angrily shoving Dean away. “How can you think that?”  
Dean stood back, confused by her reaction.  
“They hurt your Sister and you punished them”  
Sally nodded shakily.  
“Yes I punished the scumbags but I didn’t kill them. I didn’t even know they were dead. I admit it, I’m a little overprotective of Ginny but I wouldn’t kill anyone. I’ll admit I threatened them and busted a few balls but that's as far as I’ve gone.”  
Dean leaned back. “So you don’t know anything about Mimosa Oil?”  
Sally looked blank. “What?”  
“Mimosa oil. I’m thinking it was added to Jordis showergel and he had a bad reaction to it and it killed him.”  
Sally shook her head denying any involvement.  
“Don’t lie to me. Wanda in the shop identified you.”  
“She can’t have.” she replied adamantly.  
Dean grabbed her arm. “Well let's go and ask her shall we.”  
Sally looked at him fiercely and shook his hand away.  
“Yes, let's do that.” she said and walked towards the shop.

Wanda looked up as the doorbell jangled again and was surprised to see a young blonde lady with a harassed looking Agent Tanner behind her. The woman came up to the counter and stood with her hands on her hips  
“Well, do you know me?” she asked and Wanda shook her head in confusion.  
“No, I’ve never met you before.”  
“But when I just showed you the picture you identified her?” asked Dean in disbelief.  
Wanda shook her head. “No, it was the other blonde girl.”  
Dean and Sally looked at each other in horror as the penny dropped.  
“It was Ginny?”  
Sally seemed to crumble. “Oh god, what has she done”  
Wanda cleared her throat. “Oh dear.” she declared and both turned to her.  
“I sell a few extra items. A few mild spells. I don’t advertise it but I guess word gets round.”  
“What did you give her?” said Dean coldly  
“She said there was someone she was attracted to who needed a bit of a nudge. There’s a short spell that when combined with the application of Mimosa oil, opens the subject to suggestion. It only works for a short while but it’s usually enough to drop any inhibitions.”  
“Long enough for someone to drown in a shower?” asked Dean in anger.  
“Yes.” she admitted. “But I didn’t know what she would use it for.”  
“Yeah You witches don’t ever consider the consequences. 4 men are dead because of you selling that spell to her.”  
Dean’s stomach dropped as he realised where Ginny was.  
“She’s with Sam.” he cried and grabbed his phone. It rang and rang but went to voicemail.  
“You won’t get reception if they’ve left the ranch.” advised the distraught Sally.  
“How far is it?” demanded Dean. “Sam said Ginny was going to show him a waterfall”.  
“I know where it is. Come on I’ll show you.”  
They rushed out of the shop leaving Wanda reconsidering her career.

Dean drove, Sally sitting beside him, barking out instructions as they reached each junction. Both occupants of the Impala were grim faced, determined to get to Sam and Ginny in the shortest time possible.

At the ranch, Sam checked the saddle before swinging his leg up and seating himself upon the black stallion. After a short practice canter around the yard to get his confidence he nodded to Ginny. “Ok, ready to go.” he said and she laughed and spurred her horse into a trot.

“I didn’t realise she was so bad.” Sally murmured.  
Dean turned his head. “What?”  
Sally sighed. “Ginny. She’s very sensitive and takes rejection badly. That's why I need to protect her. “  
Dean frowned. “Has she done something like this before?”  
Sally shook her head sharply. “No, of course not. When she’s been upset by someone she comes to me and I usually sort it out.”  
“By threats and violence.”  
Sally smiled thinly. “If that is what it takes. I won’t apologise for protecting my sister.”  
Dean sighed. In a way he understood what Sally had been doing. How many times had he resorted to the same thing when his brother was in danger.  
“Threatening someone, maybe even kicking them when it hurts is one thing but killing someone is crossing the line.”  
“I know,” said Sally. “I didn’t think she would go so far,” she turned to Dean  
“What am I going to do?”  
Dean pursed his lips. “She’s safe with Sam at the moment. There are places that can help.”  
“Therapy?” scoffed Sally.  
“Maybe. There are people who can help her but she’s got to realise that you just can’t go round killing anyone that upsets you.”  
Sally sighed. “I know. She likes Sam. Have you been partners long?”  
“He’s my brother.” he confessed. “We’re not the real FBI. We’re hunters who go after unusual cases.”  
Sally stared at him, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.  
“It's ok.” Dean assured her “You can trust me, you’re quite safe. I just want to get Ginny the help she needs just as much as you.”  
He left out the ‘but if she hurts my brother she’s gonna pay’ unsaid.  
Sally was quiet for a few minutes, letting the news sink in.  
“You both thought I’d done it didn’t you?”  
“Yeah.” admitted Dean. “Everyone we interviewed told us about a psycho sister. The victims died within a short time of your visit.”  
Sally nodded. “I can see how you came to think that. I’ll admit I wanted to see them dead but that was wishful thinking.”  
“You two are close?”  
She sighed again. “Yeah. It's just been us for the last few years. Our Dad died in the Twin Towers in 01 and Mom was never the same. She got sick and died a couple of years later. We’ve travelled around since but never really settled. Trouble with Ginny is that she has a rotten taste in men.”  
Dean glanced at the attractive woman sitting beside him and felt a wave of sympathy.  
“I can understand your need to protect her. Sammy and I had a similar childhood. We lost our Mom when Sam was a baby. We ended up travelling round the country with a part time father, foisted on various friends of his until we were old enough.”  
“Is he still around?”  
“No, he died a few years ago. It’s been just me and Sam since.”  
She watched as he returned his focus to the road. She felt a tug of attraction to the grim faced hunter, a mutual respect of a kindred spirit.  
“He’ll be ok.” she assured him. “She likes Sam.”  
Dean just pressed his foot on the accelerator a little harder, a niggling feeling of apprehension beginning to manifest in his mind.

As they rode the horses up the trail, Sam and Ginny spoke of many things, enjoying the sounds and smells of nature. Sam found that, although a little rusty to begin with, his riding skills became better as they rode towards the waterfall.  
“So, you came out here a lot with Jordi?” he asked.  
Ginny nodded. “Yes. We had a lot of fun out here.”  
“I’m sorry you lost him.”  
Ginny laughed which confused the younger Winchester.  
“Tell you the truth, our relationship didn’t really have a future. He was getting a bit too clingy. He kept dropping hints of me being the ONE.”  
“Oh.” was all Sam could say.  
“Anyway, it’s a good thing he died, because I wouldn’t have met you otherwise.”  
Sam took a deep breath at the inappropriateness of the remark.  
“Look Ginny. I think you’re beautiful and a great girl but I’m warning you that I’m not good relationship material.”  
Ginny threw her head back and laughed.  
“Of course not you idiot. Neither am I. You know my track record with guys. Let’s just have some fun - no strings.”  
She spurred her horse causing Sam to trot quickly after her, a little uncomfortable now.

Dean pulled the Impala into the small car park in front of the stables and Sally rushed over to the stablegirl who was brushing the mane of a handsome black horse. Dean joined her and she turned to him.  
“They left about a half an hour ago.”  
“How far to the waterfall?”  
It’s about 4 miles.  
“Ok, let’s go.” he said starting to walk back to the car.  
She put a hand on his arm.  
“You can’t drive there. We’ll need to ride. Am I ok to borrow General and Belle Carla?” she asked.  
The stablehand, Carla nodded. “Sure, you see to Belle and I’ll get General here tacked and saddled.”  
Dean paled as she saw her pat the large black stallion and begin to take tack off the wall.  
“You know how to ride don’t you?” she asked, seeing him staring at the animal.  
“Yeah” swallowed Dean. “It’s just been a while.” he said, eyeing the horse warily.  
Carla patted the black horse's head.  
“You’ll be fine. General looks tough but treat him right and he’s a pussycat. Come over and say hello”  
Dean stepped forward and stood before the wild beast. It’s black eyes focussed on him.  
“Hi General. I need to get to my brother urgently. Can you help me?” Dean said in a quiet voice.  
The horse studied the man before him and puffed a breath of air over his face. Dean stood his ground and brought his hand up to the dark head. “I need your help General. Can we be buddies?”  
The horse seemed to nod his head and gave a quiet whinny as if to say ok.  
“Come and help me with this saddle.” called Carla and he turned and lifted the heavy seat onto the ample back of his new friend.

A short while later, they arrived at their destination, a pretty little waterhole with a waterfall lazily falling over a rock shelf into a clear pool below. Sally dismounted and tied her horse to a convenient branch and Sam did the same, making sure the horses could reach the grass. After giving them some water, Ginny took hold of Sams hand.  
She pointed out at the waterfall. “There’s a small cave behind the waterfall. Jordi and I used to go in there and have wild sex.”  
Sam coughed. “Wild sex?” he asked.  
She nodded. “Very wild.” she murmured. She brought her hands up to his face and gently massaged a cloth at his temples. Sam pulled back as he caught a floral scent.  
“What’s that scent?” he asked.  
“Mimosa oil. I brought some with me. I find it very calming. I thought it would help you relax.” she whispered sexily.  
Sam felt himself unwinding and a smile creased his face. He moved forward and kissed her.  
“I’m up for a bit of wild sex if you are.” he whispered pulling away and saw Ginny smile back.  
“I am.” she breathed. “Come on, let's get stripped off, the only way to get to the cave is by swimming.”  
Sam began to feel a little weird but put it down to anticipation and he stripped down to his boxers swiftly. Ginny waded into the water before him and swam over to the waterfall. He licked his lips as he watched her, her lithe figure barely concealed by skimpy underwear. Sam followed laughing as she splashed back at him. His blood sung in his veins and a feeling of euphoria swept through him. He waded over and they kissed passionately.  
“Come on” she murmured, pulling him towards the curtain of water. The tall dark hunter followed blindly towards the rushing water. The water was cool and refreshing after their long hot ride and as he neared, he saw the black maw of the cave behind the flow. Ginny passed through the water shower but as Sam stepped through she spoke a short latin phrase and  
Sam found himself unable to move. He looked over to Ginny who was watching him with a sympathetic look.  
“I’m sorry Sam.” she said. “But you know too much.”  
He tried to speak but could make no sound, his voice struck dumb. Ginny told him to tilt his head and Sam found himself involuntarily tipping it back. He found himself blinded by the water. She pulled his jaw down and Sam panicked as he began to choke.

Dean and Sally reached the end of the trail and spotted the two horses tied up at the side of the pool. Dean scanned the area and his eyes were drawn to the waterfall.

Ginny watched as the water poured into Sam’s mouth, the water swiftly filling his stomach and lungs. She waited as she saw him panic, his eyes the only part of him able to express anything.  
“It’s ok Sam. It’ll be over soon.” she assured him as she patiently waited for the light to go from the handsome agents eyes.  
Suddenly there was a dark blur and in a splash of water Sam was thrown sideways out of the flow. Ginny jumped back with a cry as her sister splashed through the curtain of water and grabbed her.  
“Stop, it’s over Ginny.”  
Ginny pulled her arm away with an angry cry.  
“Enough Ginny.” sighed her Sister. “They know everything. How you killed Jordi and the others.”  
The younger sister shook her head and Sally reached forward and hugged her.  
Ginny stiffened in her embrace.  
“They hurt me.” Ginny said. “They needed to be punished.”  
“I know baby. But you got a bit confused and took it too far. We’ll get you help Ginny, I won’t leave you.”  
Ginny collapsed into tears, the enormity of the consequences of her actions rushing through her.  
“I’m sorry.” she sobbed. “Help me Sally.”  
“I’m here, no one will hurt you ever again little Sister.”  
Ginny shook with emotion. “What about Sam?”  
“I’ll deal with it. Let’s get you out of here and get you dried off.”

Behind her, Dean was dragging his brother out of the water. Feverishly he examined him, frightened to see the tall man struggling for breath. Swiftly spinning him over, he pumped his back until Sam coughed and threw up a mountain of water. Patting him on his back he raised his brother to a sitting position and breathed a sigh of relief as he began to breathe easier.  
“OK Sammy. Take a bit of time to get your breathing steady.”  
Sam took a little time to gain his equilibrium but then gasped.  
“Ginny.” he croaked.  
Dean looked across and saw the sisters wading over to them.  
“It’s ok. Sallys got her.”  
“I don’t understand.”  
“Ginny is the killer not her Sister. She was supplied with a spell using ..”  
“Mimosa?” interjected Sam.  
“Yes.”  
“She used Mimosa oil on me.”  
Dean gave a hug to his brother as Sam coughed wetly. “Come on, let’s get you back to civilization.”  
He looked over to Ginny. She was deep in conversation with her sister. He watched as Sally took a small bottle from Ginny’ and soaked a cloth. She held it out to Ginny and dabbed it on her forehead. Ginny then repeated the latin phrase she had used on Sam and the effect was immediate. She calmly got dressed and mounted her horse Dean helped Sam to his feet and helped him over to his horse. The younger Winchester wearily mounted the ride, coughing at the effort, and Dean watched worriedly as he spurred the horse to follow the girls.

By the time they got back to the stables Sam was wheezing and Dean had to help him off the horse.  
Sally came to his side.  
“He doesn’t look well. You need to get him to a hospital.”  
“He’ll be ok.” assured Dean, knowing that Castiel would be able to heal his brother later that night.  
He maneuvered Sam over to the Impala and sat him in the front seat. He patted him on the back fraternally and turned back to Sally.  
“What are you going to do?” he asked, surprised that he didn’t feel angry towards the young blonde.  
“I’ll get her help, Dean. She knows what she’s done. She’s genuinely sorry about Sam.”  
“Well I guess you’re lucky that Sam and me understand a lot about PTSD. I know you’ll look after her. Keep in touch.” he said.  
“Look after your brother.”  
“I will.”  
A coughing fit caught his attention and with a last shared glance he returned to the Impala and set off back to the motel.  
Sam’s coughing was becoming more pronounced as they travelled, the unexpelled water irritating his lungs. Dean glanced at his watch and saw that it was nearly 5pm. He knew that Cas and Jack were due that night so hopefully Sam wouldn’t need to suffer too much.

After reaching the hotel and getting Sam settled, he rang Castiel.  
“Hello Dean.” came the calm greeting.  
“Hey Cas. How far are you away?”  
“We have encountered a jam made of traffic.”  
“Traffic Jam Cas.” corrected Dean. “How long till you get here?”  
Cas considered the question.  
“When the traffic jam clears we should hopefully make good time. I envisage us reaching you by midnight.”  
Dean sighed and Sam coughed wetly.  
“Is that Sam?” asked the Angel  
“Yeah, he nearly drowned Cas. Water has got into his lungs and he’s having trouble breathing properly. I’m worried that he’s going to get pneumonia.”  
“We will be there as soon as we can.”  
“Thanks Cas.”  
Ending the call, he moved back to Sam’s side.  
“I’m ok Dean.” said Sam. “I just need to rest.”  
“Ok Sammy.” he murmured, noticing beads of sweat beginning to form on his brother's brow. Sam coughed again.  
“Put your foot down Cas.” he murmured.

Over the next hours, Sams condition worsened. His fever rose and his breathing became more laboured. Dean felt helpless, dabbing at his brow with cool water to bring the fever down wasn’t working. Despite propping him up with a pile of pillows at his back, the water in Sams lungs was slowly drowning him. Dean was worried that if the Angel didn’t get there soon, Sam would end up being Ginny's 5th victim. It was shortly before midnight before there was a knock at the door and Dean swung it open. A very concerned Angel strode immediately over to Sam who was tossing and turning in the bed, long since having lost awareness. Castiel knelt down and held his hand over his sick friend and frowned.  
“Can you help him Cas?” asked Dean desperately.  
The Angel nodded and held two fingers to the clammy forehead. A blue light emitted and Sam coughed one last time before settling down. Castiel opened his eyes and nodded in satisfaction.  
“He will sleep now.”  
“Will he be ok?”  
“Yes.”  
Dean came up and clasped his friend's shoulder. “Thanks Cas.” and the two shared a warm moment.  
Jack stepped forward. “We got here as soon as we could. There was a big accident on the highway and we had to choose a longer route.” he said, seating himself and taking Sams hand in his. “What happened?”  
Dean sighed. He was exhausted by the day's events and the worry of the last few hours.  
Castiel studied the elder Winchester brother with wise eyes.  
“You need to rest Dean. You can tell us tomorrow.”  
Dean yawned and scrubbed his hand through his short hair.  
“Can’t argue with that. Are you two going to get a room?”  
“Go to sleep Dean. Jack and I will stay here and watch over you.”  
Dean knew he should have been creeped out by that statement but all he felt was a warm comforting fuzziness. He stripped to his underwear and t-shirt and slipped beneath the covers. He fell asleep assured that all would be well in the morning.

Sam woke to the smell of coffee and blueberry muffins and he groaned and stretched his muscles.  
“Did I die and go to heaven?” he sighed.  
“Not this time dude.” answered his brother. “How are you doing Sammy?”  
Sam sat up and took a moment to do a quick health check. Head clear, lungs clear, no pain, no soreness.  
“I feel fine.” He turned and searched the room and saw a couple of smiling faces.  
“Thanks Cas.” Sam said sincerely, knowing that the Angel had once again saved him.

Over a leisurely breakfast, the brothers filled in Cas and Jack on the story of the last few days.  
“You think Ginny will get the help she needs?” Sam said quietly.  
“Yeah.” Dean nodded. “For all her faults, Sally loves her Sister. She’ll see that she is looked after.”  
“I guess I can understand that.” Sam replied, sharing a long look with his own overprotective brother.  
“Thanks for saving me again Dean.” he said sincerely.  
Dean smiled and ruffled his brother's hair affectionately.  
“You had me worried for a while but thanks to Cas you’re going to be ok.”  
“Fit to hunt another day.”  
“Amen to that brother.”

The End


End file.
